I will have to check on my WCS but I was pretty sure there was no settings to change the soccer ball spin from one way to the other. @cayle I believe had done this to his WCS in the past and I thought it was done by reversing the wiring to the ball motor but I am not 100%.

I will have to check on my WCS but I was pretty sure there was no settings to change the soccer ball spin from one way to the other. @cayle I believe had done this to his WCS in the past and I thought it was done by reversing the wiring to the ball motor but I am not 100%.

In Australia it spins the other way. As my kids would say . . . DAD JOKE . . .

Sorry Ron, but I must correct. There were exactly 796 players showing on the Pinburgh website at the beginning of day 1. My theory is the 4 mystery players all pre-checked in the night before. Then got sick or hungover or whatever and didn’t show up. The staff would not have time to fill those spots because they would not be aware of it until the groups reported a missing player.

Regarding Episode 57 & your question about the Big Game stuck ball in the upper left saucer (that feeds the upper lanes)… ultimately, as with any stuck ball, it’s up to TD discretion where to put it. There is nothing that precludes him/her from selecting the plunger lane.

IMHO, I would have opted for the plunger lane for a ball that’s stuck in that saucer. But if the ball were stuck in the left lane anywhere prior to the saucer, I’d go with the lower left flipper.
Regarding a ball in Harlem’s upper saucer, it’s the same: TD discretion. They can choose the either upper left flipper, right flipper, or plunger lane – because lower left flipper would just be mean. Only @pinwizj would select that option.

Pertinent rules language below (from PAPA):

"If the tournament official is unable to free the stuck ball, the machine will be opened, and the stuck ball freed and placed either in the plunger lane, or on the upraised flipper of the tournament directors choosing, with the flipper button held by the player. In the event this is not possible, the official may select another location or feature where the ball can be placed safely while the machine is being closed in order to resume normal play.

If more than one ball is stuck, all freed balls will be placed on the flipper(s) of the tournament director’s choice before play resumes, or in the plunger lane if the flippers are inactive while the machine is open."

Regarding Episode 57 & your question about the Big Game stuck ball in the upper left saucer (that feeds the upper lanes)… ultimately, as with any stuck ball, it’s up to TD discretion where to put it. There is nothing that precludes him/her from selecting the plunger lane.

IMHO, I would have opted for the plunger lane for a ball that’s stuck in that saucer. But if the ball were stuck in the left lane anywhere prior to the saucer, I’d go with the lower left flipper.
Regarding a ball in Harlem’s upper saucer, it’s the same: TD discretion. They can choose the either upper left flipper, right flipper, or plunger lane – because lower left flipper would just be mean. Only @pinwizj would select that option.

Pertinent rules language below (from PAPA):

"If the tournament official is unable to free the stuck ball, the machine will be opened, and the stuck ball freed and placed either in the plunger lane, or on the upraised flipper of the tournament directors choosing, with the flipper button held by the player. In the event this is not possible, the official may select another location or feature where the ball can be placed safely while the machine is being closed in order to resume normal play.

If more than one ball is stuck, all freed balls will be placed on the flipper(s) of the tournament director’s choice before play resumes, or in the plunger lane if the flippers are inactive while the machine is open."

If I was TD I would choose plunger lane for a ball in either one of those saucers (Big Game or Harlem).

The plunger lane gets the ball back into the same area of the playfield as it would have been had the ball not been stuck, and that’s my goal with freeing a stuck ball.

Fathom has a similar area with the above the lanes or upper kickout saucer/drop target area. Those balls end up feeding the A-B-C lanes and going into the jets. By putting the ball in the plunger lane when freeing a ball stuck in that ‘area’, I can get the ball to exactly where it would have ended up had it never been stuck.

If I was TD I would choose plunger lane for a ball in either one of those saucers (Big Game or Harlem).

The plunger lane gets the ball back into the same area of the playfield as it would have been had the ball not been stuck, and that’s my goal with freeing a stuck ball.

I was the player in that situation and I would agree. However, I respect the TD’s ruling of left side = left flipper. However - I have been wondering over the last couple of days why the lower was chosen.